


Beauty and the Sea

by FrenchRoast



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 19:01:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11835024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchRoast/pseuds/FrenchRoast
Summary: Belle and Rumple are on vacation in Hawaii, but Rumple is not sure how he feels about what Belle wants to do for fun.





	Beauty and the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Rumbelle Summer Vacation ficathon

“Are you sure you want to do this, Belle?” Rumple asked from where he stood outside the public beach restroom. Belle was changing inside. A hearty salt wind ruffled his hair, finally grown back out to what it was before his impromptu stint as his own stylist. He reached down to adjust Gideon’s sunhat as he slept in his carrier; Belle had been very firm about Gideon needing a sunhat here in Hawaii. Rumple just hoped it didn’t fly off in with the trade winds, because it had taken her much longer than he thought possible to find exactly the right hat for Gideon. “You don’t have to go swimming with these creatures, you know. There’s a TV channel with an entire week devoted to them, and we can watch as much as you like.”

 

Belle stepped out of the building, clad in a blue and white-striped one piece, a beach towel draped over one shoulder. “For your information, Mr. Gold, there are two channels with weeks dedicated to ‘these creatures’. And I don’t want to just watch them, Rumple. I want to see them for real.”

 

“At least let me use some magic to keep them from coming too close,” Rumple implored.

 

Belle shook her head, her side braid falling off her shoulder. “I’m going to be fine. OneOcean Diving has been taking people out multiple times a day for years, and they have a perfect safety record. People take their kids on these dives.” Belle grabbed Rumple’s hand, and he picked up Gideon’s carrier as they walked away from Sunset beach and toward Haleiwa’s docks. They’d rented a car that morning and driven up to the North Shore from Honolulu, and Belle was glad they had. The North Shore was very, very different from Honolulu—not that Honolulu was bad, but this felt real, not like they were just a couple more tourists. They’d skipped what everyone said was a not-to-be-missed hike to Waimea’s falls (an infant in a carrier made hiking a no-go), but they’d driven along the coast, marveling at the clear blues and turquoises of the water before coming to Haleiwa’s Sunset Beach for a picnic. Skipping the waterfalls this time just meant they had no choice but to come back here someday when Gideon was old enough to hike with them.

 

Gideon loved the water, and Belle loved how carefree Rumple looked lounging on the beach in swim trunks. And the water was glorious—just warm enough that you didn’t catch a chill, but cool enough to be a relief from the heat of the day. Belle felt so comfortable there on the shore, to the point that she felt—vaguely, like déjà vu—that she’d been there before. She was trying to figure out why when Rumple spoke up again.

 

“But they’re wild animals, Belle. You can’t predict what they’ll do.”

 

“I know, Rumple. And that’s why we paid for an extra safety diver, remember? I’m going to do exactly what they tell me to do, I promise.”

 

Rumple made a murmur of disagreement, tinged with a smile. “Since when do you ever do what others tell you?”

Of course, a couple of hours later when his wife stepped out of the boat and back onto dry land where Gideon and Rumple were waiting, the light in Belle’s eyes told Rumple how much this adventure had meant to her. And if the sight of her, giddy in in her damp swimsuit, her braid a bedraggled, saline mess, then her voice would’ve been enough of a witness; for a full hour afterwards, her every sentence ended with an exclamation point:

 

“Rumple! Gideon! It was unbelievable! There were over twenty Galapagos sharks in the water with us! They were so cool! So beautiful! And they were everywhere, but we were completely fine! Sharks really don’t want to eat people! And one of them brushed by me! I touched a shark, Rumple!”

 

Rumple nodded, taking in her excitement as they walked back to the rented car. Hawaii had been an excellent choice for beauty and adventure, and most importantly, he’d been able to help Belle see and do something she’d never done before. Even if it had made him nervous, sitting near the harbor and feeding the wild chickens (he had no idea this island was so thoroughly covered in poultry) with Gideon sleeping soundly next to him, all the while knowing that Belle was on a boat with a bunch of strange scientists and tourists who though shark diving was an ideal way to spend an afternoon. But Rumple knew that he could never let his fears stand in the way of Belle doing something like this. Not after all they’d been through; he wanted Belle to have everything the world had to offer. Even sharks.


End file.
